(John McCann, Headline USA) Big changes are on the horizon at Twitter following Elon Musk‘s $44 billion acquisition. And that appears to be bad news for Twitter’s current management hierarchy.
Shortly before acquiring Twitter, Musk used his position as shareholder to highlight his reservations about the company, according to the Western Journal.
In his schedule 13D filing with the SEC, Musk stated: “If the deal doesn’t work, given that I don’t have confidence in management nor do I believe I can drive the necessary change in the public market, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder.”
When securing funds for the purchase, Musk reportedly told prospective lenders that he would be focusing on the company’s profitability. This would lead to cuts in both costs and jobs. Reuters also reported that executive salaries would also be reduced.
Musk’s plans could spell trouble for many at the company who he deems surplus for requirements. One of the first names on the chopping block is sure to be Twitter’s chief censor, Vijaya Gadde.
Using her position as chief legal officer and general counsel, Gadde was instrumental in Donald Trump’s removal from the platform, as well as suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop scandal during the 2020 election.
Musk appeared to have publicly targeted Gadde on Twitter by sharing a flowchart depicting Gadde’s appearance on the Joe Rogen podcast, in which she defended Twitter’s speech restrictions.
Gadde insisted that Twitter censors do not target accounts based on politics, stating: “Our platform promotes speech unless people violate our rules.”
Journalist Tim Pool, who was conducting the interview, countered her claim by pointing out that, “You have a pattern and practice of banning only one faction of people,” and cited a report from Quillette that provided evidence to his statement. Gadde insisted that politics didn’t come into her decision making.
Given Gadde’s penchant for censorship and her cost (she earned $21 million in 2021), she seems to be at odds with Musk’s vision for the platform going forward.
Many employees throughout the company may have to clean their desks out and seek greener pastures as change is on the way.
